12km round the port

I had a 12km walk down for todays training.  I thought I would do my scenic walk and go around the big block and take in tahuna and the port.  My legs were feeling pretty tired and after not feeling so flash after last nights walk I decided I would enjoy this walk and just listen to my body.

I had forgotten why I dont do this route - as there is so much to look at going this way - but I was reminded at the 3 km mark and from there after why I dont do this.....and have now written it on my fridge - DONT GO ROUND THE PORT!!!

At 3km the foot paths along Annesbrook drive are awful.  They are twisted and uneven with bigger dips for the drive ways.  I opted to take a small detour to add some extra distance so I popped down Muriti Street and another side street to pop out by Natureland at Tahuna Park.  This part of the walk was really nice as the path is new and nice and smooth.  I zipped along here happily and stopped for a drink at the fountain by the Library.  Again the path way along the water front is not smooth underfoot and its narrow too.  With road works along the main road (they are building a walk path up along the bank on the opposite side of the sea) so trucks were driving hard up against the path.....made it a tad scary that they were so close.

As I came around to the BP Haven, I had to stop my watch while I waited for a gap in the traffic and bolted across the road.  Started again and thought...3km to go...nice!!  Its a slow slog up hill all the way home...its one of those up hills that is not totally obvious to the eye but you can feel it when you walk or run up it.  I was getting tired and my tummy started throwing a few cramps in there for the added fun.  I popped onto the walk way that goes up to my house bang on 3pm.....so to my great amusement ... I had heaps of school kids pointing and laughing and mimicking me...............oh the joy!!

I got home in a slightly quicker time that I had planned.  1:14:52  thats an avg pace of 6:14 and I am happy with that.

My only problem is my inner calf is hurting on my left leg.  I think the camber and new shoes was just too much for it.  So out with the ice gel .....  I plan to get up and do my 5km fartlek tomorrow morning.  Will head to the Atawahi walkway for that one.

12km round the port

5km series - Kateri Drive

Today was meant to be a x-train day for me but seeing as my coach had given me Tuesday off (10km) due to my Migraine ... I thought I would go out and do the Richmond 5km ....Its also the last one I can do as I start waitressing next week and the series stops at the end of March as day light savings stops and so it will be too dark.

Seeing as I had such a great walk on Monday and that was with the headache...I felt sure I would have a great walk today. My migraine had finally stopped and I thought I felt fine. It had been pouring with rain all morning and was really really windy. With huge winds through the night too. It was nice that it cleared up and become really muggy and hot...with the wind still there.

We all lined up and some of us were chatting at the back and so when we started we got caught behind the big group of walkers. It took about 400m to get past and start into a good pace. This was a nice flat course and one that I felt I could have a good chance at hitting a low 28min.....my first km was under 6mins and the 2nd was quicker...then the wheels feel off everything. At about the 2.75 km mark I started getting spots in front of my eyes and my head started to swirl. I felt terribly nauseous and was struggling to walk a straight line. I slowed up and as we turned on the main road again we had our typical evening head wind. With some good gusts that were really knocking me about. It was the same for all of us, but I did slow down alot. I pushed on through and thought...its only one km to go......I know I can do that. By now my vision was terrible and I was feeling really badly......I was breathing very hard yet my heart rate didnt seem to show I should have been.

I crossed the finish line and quietly slipped away into the park and found a quiet spot to lay down. I lay on the cool grass for about 5mins and slowly started to feel better. I know what was wrong and I guess hindsight ... it was silly of me to have walked tonight. This migraine had turned out to be one of those "bad" ones...and so I had taken lots more medication than I normally do. I hate to take pills of any kind, so really resent taking them for the migraines as they do knock me around and make me very "foggy" headed for a couple of days.

So the time tonight was still a fast time 29:01

5km series - Kateri Drive

5km Honest Lawyer

8km is what is on my program for today. I really wanted to walk in the new walk series that has started up so I had earlier promised my coach that I would continue on and do a total of 8km.

By Sunday evening I felt the first signs of a migraine starting. I took all the right medicines but I was not quick enough and so it thumped all night and all of today. Now I know some of you will be thinking.....why on earth is she still going out training? let alone racing if she has a migraine. Well I can give you two reasons........1st - I have been suffering these now for 14 years and have build up a fairly high pain tolerance and have learnt to block out the pain with meditation .... 2nd - often when I train hard it actually stops the migraine even my Dr confirmed this as the faster my blood pumps it forces the blocked capillary to unblock and as I take anti inflammatory's it reaches the inflamed area quicker.

ok so this is a gamble and I cant always guarantee that it will stop it or that I can walk fast or finish. Tonight I was lucky in one sense....I finished the 5km and in a record time.....but my 3km was much slower and I did have to stop after the 5km for a couple of mins as I was in pain.

It was a good course. We started at the Honest Lawyer Pub and headed out along the road towards Monaco. (Monaco is a small area that is tidal and one side of this wee peninsular is cut off at high tide - so most have co owned driveways with their back neighbours so they can get in and out of their homes at high tide) We walked off the road and down on to the sand road - the tide was low - this a compacted sand roadway with shells and stones knobbling along on it - we walk on this for about 300m and then pop back up onto the road way again. We go round the furtherest point of the peninsular and head along to the grassy domain park where the turn cone is....then we return the same way we came. The bit of road way around the back to the turn is narrow and has a terrible camber to it....so for about 1km it is hard going as you are not working straight. We had a good wind to tackle tonight too...but that is typical for this area.

I started out strong and felt good. I picked my way across the sand and stones and popped up on to the round...when I rounded the point I went head on in to the wind and so had to work hard to keep my pace up. Eventually the camber of the road got to me and it was hard to keep up a good rhythm when you felt like your left leg was 3 inches longer than the other. Turning the cone I knew I had the camber to the other leg so I slowed up a little until I hit the sand again. I picked up the pace back into the head wind again with the last 1km to finish the 5km series. About 500m from the finish line my head really started to hurt, I was breathing hard and I knew my heartrate was higher than normal. I started feeling that horrid feeling - nausea - I figured that throwing up at the finish line would not be a good look so I slowed up for a bit.......I crossed the line and opted to stop for a moment to gather my breath. Plus everyone was wanting to shake my hand as I had set a new course record. It was then that I looked at my watch and saw that I had done the 5km in 28:29mins......wow!!!

5km Honest Lawyer series

Now I had made a promise to my coach that I would carry on and do 3km so that I still completed my 8km that was on my training prog .... so I cleared my watch and started a fresh session and headed out. I was much slower for this and I needed to be....while I walked on for the 3km it gave me time to focus on my breathing and to get my mind settled again. I finished my 3km in 18:27

making my total time for the 8km 46:56......yeah I am really happy with that.

3km continued training for 8km 

10km out and back - railway reserve

Today is the first day of my training for Sacramento......oh I so couldn't wait for this.

So first up was a 10km walk. I picked the railway reserve as it was a simple out and back from home. It did mean tackling the Beatson Street Hill on the way back but as I have found...this is not such a bad thing and although it does effect my over all time ...it also helps with cardio as I power walk up.

I felt great today as I headed off and was most surprised to see I had completed the first km in 6:12.......a normal time for that part of the walk is 6:40 - 6:50 as its an up hill gradient. Then the next km is the full down hill of Beatson and I normally do this pretty quick so it makes up for the slow first km.....so I was already up on my time. It was a nice day out today with high cloud and a very slight breeze, which helped keep the temp down to 23degs. There were a few familys out on the walkway so I had a number of trikes to dodge and kids on scooters that had little control of where they were going. I must becoming a regular as a number of them commented about seeing me so often :)

I made it out to the 5km turn point in 29:27 min.....Nice!! and I was feeling great too, a little thirsty but nothing to major. I pushed back along the track and was conscious of the fact the hill back would soak up any time I had up my sleeve. If you look at my data you will see km's 8 & 9 pace drop as that is where the undulations start and the 9th km is the hill back up. I was still zipping along at an ok pace and reached the base of Beatson's Street with enough time up my sleeve that I might actually do a 1 hour 10km......I punched up Beatson's and managed to racewalk almost 3/4 of it but that last 1/4 is just too sharp and I power walked up that section. The you pop out on to the sealed walkway that leads back to home....1km to go. Gosh if I push hard I might just make my goal......so off I went. I was feeling tired now and my head was starting to throb.....guess I really did need a drink back at the 5km, but I kept on going and stopped the watch at 1:00:48 ... I am most happy with that. Yes its closer to 1:01 but its still one of my fastest 10km times for that course.

10km out and back - railway reserve

6km Pub run - Whakatu - cleaveland tce

My official training starts tomorrow....so I thought I would do the pub run and have some fun.

By the time it was 3.30pm it was just starting to drizzle ... it was still warm but I chose to wear a long sleeve top in case it rained harder.

There was not as many today. Lots of people have gone to Christchurch to check on family or lend a hand...or they had people from Christchurch staying.

Tonight's course I have not done before and I was not sure where I was going. About 3 of us walked together for the first 3km and each corner we were not sure about some one would tell us ....go left....or go right..... and off we would go again. Weaving up to the Maitai Valley and then off road following the cycle track around the river. Wendy and I walked side by side chatting away as Yvonne jogged ahead of us. The rain had held off and we were all regretting wearing warm tops. At the 3km mark we turned away from the river and started the climb up Cleaveland Tce. I slowed to a power walk and told Wendy to head off.....my lunch was starting to make an unwelcome return. lol....so I slowly chugged my way up and over Cleaverland Tce and then slowly picked my way down the slippery road.

Once back on the flat again I was not quite sure where I was to go and Wendy was just far enough in front now that as I would turn into a street she would also turn out of it so I never saw which way she went. So a couple of times I slowed down for the walker behind me - Ross - to pop into view and wait for his signal of which way to go....makes for a fun walk lol. Finally I spotted the right roads and I was away again.

Finishing the pub run in 36:10 for 5.78km

6km Pub run - Whakatu - cleaveland tce

5km series - out and back

What a couple of days.

I have sat glued to the TV watching the tragic events unfold in front of me about the massive earthquake in Christchurch. It saddens me and upsets me to watch, but I cant bear to look away for fear of missing something.....a rescue or some other heart warming story. Sadly the death toll is rising and there seems to be more sad stories now and so I think I need to change channels.

So I was really pleased to head out and do this walk. I am having a two week break but to be honest....I am over it. I love to walk and feel yuck when I don't. Yes I have been doing some x training....but it doesn't excite me the same so I have been pretty lazy about it all.

Tonight was an out and back - up over the switch back hills. I quite enjoy this walk. The switch backs are two hump hills.....we hit them at the 2km mark with the turn at the base of the 2nd hump. I dont race walk up these and tonight I didn't even power walk.......just walked fast-ish.

I felt great tonight. A little tired with lack of sleep from the night before but body felt good. I have only had two walks since Buller and so was surprised at how good my legs felt. when I turned at the cone marking 2.5km it was 14:40mins.......awesome........feels like it might be a sub 30min time. My best time to date on this course is 29:51

tonight I did it in 28:47!!! yay ...... I am rapt!

Bring on the new program......

5km series - out and back

Smugglers Pub run - along the beach

I am enjoying my two weeks off...but I do get a little anxie when I dont walk. The club run/walk this week is one of my favorites. Its almost 10km and it goes out along the road, then onto gravel road, grass path and lastly down onto the beach. So you always dig out your oldest pair of shoes as you know they are going to get wet and sandy.

I was planning on just taking it easy but I just couldnt get my style going at the pace the other walkers were going so I picked it up to catch up with my friend who was jogging ahead. When I caught her she flitted between me and the walker behind so it was good company. I was also trying out a hydration belt that she had loaned me. I am a stickler for not taking water with me for longer walks and I was not sure if I would like something on my hips. I am pleased to say that I hardly noticed it and will certainly be buying one for myself.

When we came off the road (about 4km) we headed out around the Airport and onto the gravel road. Its nice around here and you get to watch planes coming and going. We carried along til the path turns on to the grass pathway......more like a sheeps trail and its a little hard under foot for racewalking...but it makes for an interesting walk. At the 7km mark we turn off from the path and head down onto the beach. The tide was out which was good as the river would have been rather deep to cross, it was still ankle deep and about 50m to paddle across. You had places you could jump between but you already had old shoes on so best to just splash on through. Once you get through the wee river crossing you move on to the beach front. Today the sand was really soft and boggy (you sank up to your shoe tops as you plow through) so there was a lot of zig zagging along the beach to find the hard sand. This really gets your heart rate pumping as you try to keep your pace up. Plus as you round to the front beach you have to pick your way though people sun bathing and family's out playing. I think most of them were more amused at us as there was lots of pointing and giggling at our walk styles......and many kids mimicking us as we went past. I think many of the men runners/walkers struggled to get past the last 100m on the beach due to a group of attractive sunbathers that diverted their attentions...hahaha.....

Once you reach the end of the beach you pop back up onto the main road, race down behind the little library and on to where to we all started.

My time was 1:03:05 and for that course I was happy with that. Then it was pack up and head for home as my granddaughter was coming for the night. A great day all round.

Smugglers Pub run - along the beach b

5km series - Churchill Ave

I am now on 2 weeks x-training to rest and recover before starting my training for Sacramento in July. So on Tuesday I decided to start up my gym training again.

So out to the garage I went armed with a list of "BEST BUTT" exercises and a short leg and shoulder work out. I had decided to start off nice and light and only do 2 sets of 10 reps for each exercise. So after 3 diff butt and lunges, then leg ext, leg curl, calf raise, lateral raises and shoulder press....I was done and my legs were feeling very pumped. Well I woke up today and my legs were so SORE!!! its a good sore but gosh...I had forgotten what it feels like. As the day progressed my legs didnt ease up much and I have the 5km to walk tonight.

I got out to Richmond and met up with Pete. He was also still feeling pretty stiff after Buller so I said I would walk with him......he joked about using his zimmer frame tonight so it would be slow. Well the 1st km was as we started at the back of all the walkers and just slowly ambled along. We chatted away for the next two km and encouraged any walkers that we passed along the way. At 3km mark the up hill parts hit and we dropped to just a power walk with both of us groaning about how sore our legs were....we really did sound like a couple of 90 year olds. Up a head of us was a rec walker and he was really moving it along.....so much so that we both questioned his style. Anyhow at 3.5km Pete turns to me and says "go on...go get him"..... with 500m of up and down I headed off .. not really expecting to be able to pick up the pace too much but I quickly pulled away from Pete and made some ground on the rec walker. On this course the 4km marker signals the down hill stretch.....its a fast 1km down to the finish. I set off and pushed my sore tired legs to chase after him. No matter how fast I was going.....he was still out front of me. Infact ... I didnt gain on him at all..........................hmmmmmmm and my last km was done in 5:15!!!!!

So needless to say, my legs are really sore now .. hahahaha.... I will have trouble getting up the stairs at work for my coffee.

In total the 5km was done in 30:45

5km series - Churchill Ave

Buller Half Marathon 2011

What an awesome lead up I have had to this race.  It would have to be one of the "MUST" do half marathons in New Zealand.  If not for the scenery then for the whole social aspect.  The whole town of Westport gets behind this.  They open their homes to billet competitors, they line the streets to clap and cheer you in and then they put on an all day party in the park.

We traveled down to Westport on Friday.  Its a nice 3 hour drive and on the way you drive over the whole course so I took a photo every 15 secs and I will stitch them together to make a video so you can see what the whole course looks like. 

I was very nervous about this years race.  I wanted to bet my time from the year before and of course win the race.  There was some stiff competition and I was sure it was going to be a hard one to win.  With some pep talks from my coach, I changed my focus on the race and just put my effort into focusing on my time.  2hours 11min was the time to bet and I was not sure that I could do that.  Buller is an undulating course and is tough.  I spent the night before the race massaging my leg and foot with ice gel as I had an injury surface in the few days leading into the race.  When I woke in the morning, my leg and foot was not feeling too bad.  Infact I took the strapping off as it was annoying me more than the injury its self.  I had my usual 2 weetbix for breakfast and headed back to bed for an hour.  Got up at 6.30am and headed down to catch the bus to the start line.  Everyone in my bus seemed to be first timers and they all had the "wide eyed possum" stare and they sat chatting nervously.  The group near me were from Melbourne and asked if I had done this before and when I said it was my 4th time, I instantly got pumped for details and tips. 

We all marched off the bus and made our way down to the start.  Runners were to line up first with walkers behind.  Walkers were to start 5mins after the runners ...... Note I said "meant to"  The first thing you notice when you get near the start line are the sand-flies...Westport is notorious for sand-flies and they joke that they are so big they can fly off with you.  They are hugly annoying.  The second is the huge ques for the 5 porta loos.  Its only 7am.....race starts at 8.30...you may as well join the que now as it will take over half hour to get though....unless you are brave like some of us and just zip into the bush and hide behind a tree.  The weather this year was PERFECT!!  low cloud, no wind and about 18degs...there were even a few little spits of rain.

8.30 comes and the gun goes off for the runners.  I had grabbed another walker, an English guy called Peter and told him to follow me to the front of the walkers as often they dont wait.  It was very lucky I did that, as just as the last of the runners sauntered over the start, they said...ok walkers way ya go.  I didnt hesitate, I hit the go on my watch and I was off.  Now the problem with this is.....................for the 1st couple of km's we are allowed to us up both lanes on the road.  A head of me is 800 runners spread out over 200ms as they slowly thin out.  It is like trying to walk through a wall ..... I was aggressive this year and just yelled at people to move or coming through...in the end I went up the grass verge and blasted past.  Runners dont like being passed by a walker and especially on a hill.  I got the whole range of comments.....some flattering ...some not so.... but you just ignore them and focus on getting through everyone.  My first km was 5:47 which was slower than last year due to hitting all the people so quickly.  It was here that the first racewalker passed me.  Wendy had caught me up and tore past me and headed off to take a healthy lead.  Peter from England come up next, we chatted very briefly and then he took chase after Wendy.  5km was passed through in 28:04 (hmmm a new pb I thought to my self)  I settled into my pace now and just kept pushing after Peter and Wendy.  My hamstrings were feeling a bit tight now and my foot was aching but not enough to hinder me too much.  I pushed through the 10km mark in 58:19secs (another pb!!)  but now I knew it was going to start getting tough.  I wanted to do the next 10km in under 60mins..........or as close to it.   I was more hungry for a 2hour time for the 20km mark.  The half way is on a long straight and I was able to look ahead and see that Peter had passed Wendy and that Wendy was about 300m a head of me.  I grabbed a drink and also grabbed my gel that I had in my back pocket.  I took half the gel and hoped to feel the effects quickly as I was starting to hurt and I knew that I had two km of undulating hills ahead of me.  At the 11.5km mark I looked ahead of me and noted that Wendy only seemed to be 100m in front of me.  I had not expected that to happen so quickly and oddly passed her by the 12km mark.  I pushed hard for the next km to put some distance as I was not sure if she had picked up to sit behind me or not (I dont look behind me in a race - no point if you are going as fast as you can)  I went up the last hill ...this is the 6km to go sign.....and you look down and see the town .. all you can think of is....Yay its all down hill now!!!!  and this was the point that my race was to start.  I picked up the pace and tried to do the math with what my time was now and what it might be when I finish..........but my mind was mush and I couldnt get it.  I hit the 20km mark in 1:58:34  OMG!!!! I have done it...I have finally broken my 2 hours..........I just had 1.1 km to go and its the longest 1km of the whole race......you walk down the main street and it just goes on and on.  All the people of Westport were out on the street, clapping and cheering.  They had groups of people with drums and they were drumming us in.  It really lifts you and helps you push for that last little bit.

I rounded the corner and new it was only 400m to the finish.  My legs were starting to buckle under me...I could hear people chanting my name.....I thought I was hearing things....but there was my friend and her family all waving and screaming and chanting "go nyle, go nyle".....so I dug it in for the last surge home.  Turned into the park pushed hard and nearly stumbled as you go up over the cycle lane into the park and it changes to grass for the last 20m.  I hit stop and was almost to scared to look at my time. 

2:05:32 is my official time .................Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!  thats 6mins off my time from last year.  I just cant believe it.  I kept looking at my watch in case I was seeing things and even had to get Shane to read it back to me.  My first txt was to my coach to thank him .......and he was very very pleased!!

Buller Half Marathon 2011

3 x 1km - railway reserve

Last work out before Buller Half Marathon.

My coach told me to go and do 3 x 1km at 85%......my question was.............what pace is that??? what time should I be aiming for ???? I just didn't get it.....85% of what???

But with talking to him last night he said no pace, no time.......just effort.....so thinking about race pace and then just do 85% of that.....hmmmmm this is really tough. I know it sounds so simple and so logical but to me it was tough as I have never done that before.

I decided that since it was just 3km in total and my coach had said to me earlier that I dont always have to go to the track or find a long stretch of road....just a section of 500m is enough or at best 1km even. Well the railway reserve that is up behind me is exactly 2km from end to end....but it also has a height dif of 88m from end to end. So I decided I would start in the middle and do my 1st km going down the walk way, the second coming back up the walk way and the 3rd would be 50/50..I would go down for 500m and turn and come back up for 500m..............my way of evening it out. The bonus of using this area is that it is under shade the whole way!!!

I started out and tried hard to gauge if what I was doing was 85% of what I would normally do. I decided fairly quickly that, I was not breathing hard ...in fact I was not finding hard at all...so yep....still had more if I needed. But it was down hill................the trick will be the second km.....coming back up. I pressed stop on my watch at the end of my first km and mucked around for 3mins for my recovery......hmmm not a bad time at all...... then it was time to head back up. I could certainly feel the difference and so I did push a little harder but again still new I had more there if I needed it so I settled in to that pace and kept an eye on my breathing which was getting more labored but that was to be expected. Again my time was looking pretty good.......hmmmm something is certainly working right.

Now it was time for my last km.....I mucked around again for 3mins and then headed off down the track.....I was well and truely warmed up now and was just gliding down and I had to double check myself that I was not pushing too hard but no I still felt that I had more to give, I turned back at the 500m mark and caught the up hill .... yep that go the breathing going and yes I might have increased my effort to 90% for that last part.....but to press stop and see my time for the whole 3km and knowing that one of them was done the whole way back up the walk way......was AWESOME!!!!!!

3km - total time - 17:06

1st km - 5:37 (down hill)
2nd km - 5:49 (up hill)
3rd km - 5:37 (50/50)

3 x 1km - railway reserve

10km out and back - railway reserve

My last long walk before the Buller Half Marathon this weekend.

10km - My coach told me to just go out and walk tonight ... just cruise. After such a hard walk last night I was expecting it to be a real slog.

The weather was nearly the opposite of last night. It was still muggy and about 23 degs but it was overcast and was going to rain at any moment....so it was very humid.

I switched my music on and started up the reserve. Its got a pretty good gain in height for the kilometre of walkway from home and I normally do it in anywhere between 6.25 (pushing hard) or 6:50 (taking it easy) First thing I noticed was how good I felt and I had a good rhythm going..........must have been the yummy whole grain sandwich for morning tea and the choc chip muffin (was told to start carbo loading...hehehehe) but I did the first km in 6:32. I decided then I was not going to look at my watch again and was just going to enjoy this walk and not go to nuts over times and pace etc.

I turned at the 5km mark and noted that there was a slight head wind (probably why I felt soo good coming up the walk way) but I kept to the pace I was going and just enjoyed the walk. I slowed my pace up the hill near home but decided to keep r/w rather than power walk....it was slower but it still felt great....in fact its the first time in days that my legs have felt strong and I had a good amount of energy. My breathing was never hard and I knew I had alot more there if I had wanted to push.

The rain started just as I hit the walk way 1 km from home. It felt sooooooo good......it was really warm rain and I almost carried on for extra km as I was enjoying it soo much.

I was quite surprised that my time was 1:02:29 with avg heart rate of143

10km out and back - railway reserve

8km Fartlek - Atawhai

Ok....we are in the middle of a heat wave....I kid you not!!!!

With Timaru (near the bottom of the south island) recording 40degs, Christchurch recording 38degs and Nelson 30degs (34 on our deck!!!) and what breeze there was .... was HOT!!!! They say its from fauhn wind and the cyclone yassi. I sat at home and silently implored my coach to say.....dont do it today....but I knew he wouldn't. Today was my last hard work out before Buller and most important that it be done today.

One of my wise friends reminded me that Sacramento will be approx 30degs and that I really should be out training in the heat of the day while I can seeing as I will be going from our winter to their summer. So I waited till it was later in the evening hoping that the temp would drop....it did but not by much. As it was only 8km I stupidly decided not to wear my waist camel pack. (it annoys the hell outta me BUT in hindsite....bla bla bla!!!!)

I started out at a good pace and felt good and strong. It was very hot and the air felt thick and sticky. I was breathing hard when I slowed for my first slow 500m and was having trouble recovering. I stepped it up for the next 500m and again it didnt take long before I was gasping for air. It was so dry that my throat was hurting from sucking back hot air. For the next slow 500m I slowed to a normal walk for a moment to catch my breath...I got back under control and carried on. By the time I hit the 3.5km mark I knew I was in trouble. I turned at the 4km which put me directly into the sun and I felt the heat on my face instantly. I started looking up driveways for taps or anyone to be out side so I could ask for water. 4.5km as I started the next fast 500m I stumbled and I felt my legs buckle, I thought I was going to fall. I righted myself and pushed to carry on but my eye sight had gone black...I just couldn't see anything. I knew I was near some small bushes so I hit stop and stopped fast. My vision came right but was sort of pulsing and all blurry. I stayed by the small bush for the shade for a moment. I knew I needed water and badly. I have never suffered the effects of dehydration before but I have heard enough from others to know that I was going to need water or I would be in trouble.

I had hoped my friend was home but as I went past her house the gates were locked and the car gone. I was starting to look out for puddles ... just anything. I would have run across the main road to the sea but the tide was out!!! All I could do was push for home and get it over with. I started up again and pushed for the fast 500m but I had given up caring about how slow the recovery's were. I had hoped to be under 6min kms for the whole thing but sadly that was not to be tonight. It is pretty rare that my heart rates hits up around the 170s but tonight it did.

So 8km was done in 48:53 probably not the time my coach was hoping for ... I know I was hoping for more but with the conditions ... I am happy with it.... I am happy I actually completed it!

8km Fartlek - Atawhai

3, 2, 1,1,500 & 500 track session

Its hot......its DAMN HOT.......Nelson is in a bit of a heat wave with the foehn winds that have hit us.  Our afternoon temperature just shoots up so quick.  Today it went from 22 to 32 in over an hour.  Today would have to be one of our hottest days and I am down at the track belted out my speed workout.

At the track they are finally working of the new pavilion so its a full on construction zone down there so I was the top entertainment for about 30 guys.  So with trucks rumbling past me and lots of dust I started out on this work out.  I still have a very full tummy from an early brunch and I do think this hindered me a lot.

It was so hot out on the track .. but I do need to get used to this.  I would guess that it will be like this at Sacramento and so I need to get used to training in it.  I was breathing hard and was feeling very out of shape.  Its only been two days??? what is going on.

My 2km started going even worse....my pace was just slowling winding down.  I was tired and hot and just unable to pick it up.  I must admit I was so pleased when I started the 1km reps as they are only 2.5laps and much easier.  I was starting to feel sick so I made sure I had more to drink between sets.  By now some of the guys were starting to call out as I would go past....."too hot for that" or "that looks bloody hard"  I would nod or smile and carry on.  The real struggle came when I was to do the 500m, I started getting spots in front of my eye and my vison started to "swim"....I pushed through and was so relieved when it was over.  This is not one of my fav workouts.

3km track         - 16:53    avg h/r 159
2km track      - 11:49  avg h/r 163
1km track      - 5:47    avg h/r 162
1km track      - 5:51    avg h/r 159
500m track   - 2:49   avg h/r 160
500m track   - 2:46   avg h/r 154

10km out and back - railway reserve

What a horrid and weird walk. I was just to do 10km...no expectations - no pace...just do the distance.

I got home from work at 1.30 so I had something to eat then with the plan of going out for my walk at 5pm. It was about 2pm when my daughter who has moved to Cairns contacted me to let me know that the flat she lives in has been evacuated, that it is now in the danger zone and that she and her boyfriend were going to go to the Table Lands with her other flat mates. It was a safe area - about 100km in land to where they live. She was trying hard to remain calm but I know my daughter and she was really scared. They had gone out to get supplies and had to wait for over an hour in ques and the traffic heading out of town was crawling. I am actually more worried about their trip to the table lands at this stage. So I checked out some weather sites and some of the bulletins - and instantly wished I hadnt. This Cyclone Yassa is going to be as big or bigger than Katrina that hit the USA. It is certainly the biggest cyclone to ever hit Australia. I am kind of relieved that she has left with her flat mates and wont be alone.

So when I headed out for my walk - my mind was else where and I was not really paying full attention to myself or my style. At 2.5 km after coming down the hill pretty quickly my right knee started hurting - A LOT!! to the point that I was limping while trying to walk.....I slowed the pace and thought it might be a spasm and walk through it.....it went at the 7km mark, just in time for the hills back to home.....nice! I racewalked about half way up but the pressure to lock my knee was starting to hurt it again so I just power walked the last 200m up.

So I did the very slow time of 1:04 and now have a rather sore knee to contend with . Ice and heat packs are in order and I think I will rub some volarain in too. My knee now hurts when I bend the leg (heel to touch hamstring) and when I lock it. Rather annoyed at my self over this.....but it was a catch 22....I had to do the 10km today!

10km out and back - railway reserve

10km out and back - railway reserve

What a horrid and weird walk. I was just to do 10km...no expectations - no pace...just do the distance.

I got home from work at 1.30 so I had something to eat then with the plan of going out for my walk at 5pm. It was about 2pm when my daughter who has moved to Cairns contacted me to let me know that the flat she lives in has been evacuated, that it is now in the danger zone and that she and her boyfriend were going to go to the Table Lands with her other flat mates. It was a safe area - about 100km in land to where they live. She was trying hard to remain calm but I know my daughter and she was really scared. They had gone out to get supplies and had to wait for over an hour in ques and the traffic heading out of town was crawling. I am actually more worried about their trip to the table lands at this stage. So I checked out some weather sites and some of the bulletins - and instantly wished I hadnt. This Cyclone Yassa is going to be as big or bigger than Katrina that hit the USA. It is certainly the biggest cyclone to ever hit Australia. I am kind of relieved that she has left with her flat mates and wont be alone.

So when I headed out for my walk - my mind was else where and I was not really paying full attention to myself or my style. At 2.5 km after coming down the hill pretty quickly my right knee started hurting - A LOT!! to the point that I was limping while trying to walk.....I slowed the pace and thought it might be a spasm and walk through it.....it went at the 7km mark, just in time for the hills back to home.....nice! I racewalked about half way up but the pressure to lock my knee was starting to hurt it again so I just power walked the last 200m up.

So I did the very slow time of 1:04 and now have a rather sore knee to contend with . Ice and heat packs are in order and I think I will rub some volarain in too. My knee now hurts when I bend the leg (heel to touch hamstring) and when I lock it. Rather annoyed at my self over this.....but it was a catch 22....I had to do the 10km today!

10km out and back - railway reserve

10km kickdown - atawhai b

POX ON THE WIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With wind warnings in force for the top of the South Island - people being told to not ride motor bikes or push bikes -here am I out there trying to do a kick down. Did that drip of enough irony?

Exert from The Stuff Site - News

"SEVERE WIND WARNING"

Drivers and cyclists were asked to take extreme care today. Ferocious winds felled trees, ripped off roof iron, tore apart a hangar and cut power in the top of the South Island this morning as a severe wind warning was issued for much of the country.

In hindsight - I should have parked my car out at Atawhai and done the first 5km back into town....but wouldn't that have been cheating????

No, I start at my usual sport and head out towards Atawahi with a huge tail wind that just whisked me a long. I am not putting much effort into the walk as I am meant to start out moderate and go a little faster each 2.5km.... HA! that was not going to happen today. My first km was on the right time target but after that I was out into the wind and was doing 6min/km with little effort.....oh crap...how was I going to beat that when I turned at the 5km point.

I did try to pick up my pace on the way back. It doesnt show that in the pace but at least my heart rate went up so it can be seen that I was trying. I was breathing pretty hard and pushing hard into the wind, but many times it felt like I was moving but not going any where.....it was so strong. The last 2km were the worst, as I rounded the bend I knew that I would be directly head on to it. I went through a small sheltered area and my pace picked up and then I walked out from the trees and WHAM!!! I have to admit that there was some colourful language muttered at this stage that will not be repeated on here and I am thankful that there was no one around to hear it.....

So sadly my kickdown was done in reverse and my time was not that flash...I was hoping to do it in 60mins today......instead it was 62:18

Oh well there is always tomorrow - hmmmm more wind I bet!

10km kickdown - atawhai

20km port - monaco loop

well thats my last 20km for a wee while!! thank goodness.

Only todays walk felt like I had wasted mine and my coaches time. We had gusty winds today - on the stuff site when I got home it said 40km/hr wind.....I would agree with that. What sucked the most was that I had it head on for 90% of my walk. I spent more time pushing into the wind and trying to walk a straight line than I did trying to keep to any sort of pace. Many times the wind knocked me off the path onto the road and then it knocked a cyclist off her bike right in front of me......I near walked right over the top of her. She was unhurt just very embarrassed. As I came round the port about 6km and started towards the beach, my face started stinging and as I got closer so did my legs and arms.....then I noticed my mouth was getting gritty. The wind was so strong it was blowing the sand from Tahuna Beach up along the road and foot path.....I was getting a pretty good sandblasting. By the 10km mark the wind was just doing my head in.....I can handle walking in rain, in heat, in some cold but I HATE wind. The next section of path way is totally un protected and is open to the sea and bay, the wind here was the worst and it was all I could do to racewalk....more like power walk by this stage. I turned and came down through the centre on the railway reserve thinking now the wind would be at my back.......it would have been but the walkway is sheltered by big trees and so they absorbed most of the wind except for little puffs here and there.

At the 17km mark I stopped at a local business and made use of their outside tap and had a much needed drink. The next 3km is the up hill section and the wind had turned again giving me another head wind...ugh.....off I went again. The only section in my whole walk were I got a good strong tail wind was the last km going up Beaston Road which is the steepest part of the whole walk......... I had images of me angrily shaking my fist at the wind and muttering obscenity's to my self.

Often when I do long distance the tips of my toes get very sore from impacting in the toe box of my shoe. It doesnt happen all the time but once they start hurting it takes a couple of days to settle them. So my last 5km was so painful as it felt like my toes had been hit by hammers. When I got home the nails had been bleeding and I was limping abit.

So in a very slow 2:13 the 20km has been done. I am sure my coach is as disappointed with my time as I am, but he said that it was more important that I do the distance.

20km port - monaco loop

hard track session - but worth it

Today I had a really tough session on the track.

I was to do 3 x 2km with 3min rest in between, 1 x 1km with 2mins rest and then 2 x 500m

Today was another stinking hot day and I had to do this after work which meant I was at the track at 2.30pm.  I had filled up my water bottle but left it in the car for the day....so by the time I got to the track it was hot water!!! yuck yuck yuck...but it was all I had.

I started out and remembered that my coach told me to take it easy on the first one as I had to conserve my energy for the whole workout.  So I eased back a little and got into my stride.....by the 4th lap I was breathing hard and had to keep telling my self...just once more round.  This repeated for the next 2km set but by the last 2km set ... I was had it so I decided not to look at my watch for the last 2km and just pressed lap as I went round....I was really surprised to get home and see it was the same time for my second 2km.....hmmmmm

Now I had the 1km to do... I had hoped to push out and get a good time but my energy was lacking and I was soooo thirsty.

But I did give it my all on the last sets .... 2 x 500m  I really stretched out and pushed hard and funnily enough they too ended up being the same time....

Here are the links to my data
1st 2km lap    - 11:22
2nd 2km lap   - 11:42
3rd 2km lap   -  11:42
1km lap          -  5:43
1st 500m lap   - 2:42
2nd 500m lap  - 2:42

10km out and back - railway reserve

I was to do 10km today. I had decided that I would do it later today as Shane and I planned to watch movies for a lazy day together. By 2pm our digital thermometer was reading outside temp as 29.5deg and by 4pm it was 32 deg. By now I realised that my decision to wait was not my best choice. I waited until 6pm and it had dropped to 26deg and some cloud had built up so that helped keep the sun at bay.

I kept to a fairly steady pace and just enjoyed my time out. I have a hard track session tomorrow that will have to be done at 2pm regardless of how hot it is. I finish work at 1pm but there is a track event on tomorrow from 4pm..... not much choice left for me.

My time out on this one was slow but I enjoyed it. 1:03

10km out and back - railway reserve

5km series - St James

My legs were still feeling a little stiff and sore from my walk up the hills but I was looking forward to doing the 5km tonight. It was meant to be the stairs course and I was going to just cruise.

I had my first day of work at my new job today and it was really fun. It will be a very easy job to do and I will soon be seeking further employment to boost my income.

It was such a nice warm day today and I had finished work early so I was ready to have a nice walk. I got out to richmond and found out that it was St James....this is actaully a fairly flat course with just a small sharp rise at the end. I have only done this course once before so was not really sure where I was going. Wendy and Pete were not there tonight so I had no one to follow or call back to if I got lost.

We started out and with in 500m my legs were feeling really good and I was comfortably ticking along feeling good. I didnt feel like I was going all that quick and my breathing was steady. I had forgotten to change my watch from 500m laps so it was bleeping every 500m so I didnt bother checking it until about 3km and was really surprised to see it was under 18min......at around the 4km mark I slowed down a little as I was unsure of what direction to head and had to look out for where the cones were placed up the street. I new we went up and through the church grounds but was not sure of which way around the church we went so I picked my way and eventually saw the cone and headed off towards it. Once back out on the street again I quickly got my bearings and then the runners started going past so I was able to pick up and follow after them.

I was really surprised to cross the line in 29:14

so it was another great walk............those fartleks must really set your muscles up for a great time.

5km series - St James

Bush Walk & 6km fartlek - Atawahi

Sunday - It was an awesome day and rather than sit around the house I suggested to Shane that we go out and doing something together. It was a day off for me from training so I thought why not go for a nice stroll. I remembered we mountain biked up to the Maitai Caves once and it was such a lovely spot I suggested we walk it.

It was a great day - it took 3 hours to walk up and back and we stopped lots at different streams and played around on the rocks like kids. What I couldnt believe was how sore I was when we got home. My knees were aching and the backs of my legs were just throbbing!!! Poor Shane was just as bad...he found it very amusing that the big walker was so sore for a stroll. hahaha

Monday - I was meant to do a 10km fartlek. I woke up with very stiff and sore legs and thought this is going to be a bit of a strugle. So I had a good breakfast and waited for a couple of hours and headed out to Atawahi were the the walkway is relatively flat and smooth. I started out ok and moved into my stride slowly. By the first 500m fast I was feeling good and thought that this one might actually go under 60mins for 10km. As I started on the second 500m I rounded the bend and saw signs up say track closed- there were road works and pot holes. Bugger...so I tried to pick my way through it all but by the time I got to the 3km mark I turned back as there was no way past. So I picked my way back through the muck and started up again. My fast 500m's were ok but still felt pretty tough. I could feel my legs getting stiffer and stiffer and by now they were starting to hurt a little. I did 5km in 30:04 and I was pleased with that. I had one last 500m to go and I picked up the pace for it, half way into it and I could feel my knee starting to hurt more, I eased up a little and it went away. 150m to go so I pushed again but my knee hurt more......in the last few strides I had sharp pains coming from the side of my left knee so I am pleased I got turned back as it would have been a long way to walk back with a sore knee.

All in all though my coach was pleased with my splits - stating that my fast 500m's were good. So I am icing and looking after my knee today and will see how it is tomorrow for the 5km series.

so 6km done in 36:07

6km fartlek - Atawahi

15km Around the Port

A nice recovery walk. It is an overcast day today and a little gusty at times. I decided that I would walk around the Port today. The footpaths are not the greatest and the camber is abit off but seeing as I was not to stick to any pace - just enjoy. I picked this as it has nice views over the sea.

My legs felt abit sore and sluggish...which is to be expected, but I ticked along happily at 6:20 - 6:30 pace which suited me just fine. I am still buzzing from my time yesterday, that totally took me by surprise and now proves to me that I can do it.

By going out this way it puts you in the public eye alot more as you are visible around the main roads, so it means alot more tooting and name calling....laughing and pointing, but I am learning to ignore that now. The only time today I felt odd was walking along the atawahi walkway and a drunk guy started waving, laughing and then abusing me, I had to walk past him and then turn back and come back past him....when I came back past him he got up off the bank he was sitting on and came running/staggering towards me hurling abuse at me........so I ran for the next 300m till I got within other people.

So I am pleased to be home and to have a rest day tomorrow. Time for this nice slow wander was 1:37:42

15km Around the Port

10km Wakefield Race

A PB!!!!

10km in 58:41

I cant believe that after such a terrible walk yesterday, I could do so well today. Perhaps having someone to chase was the incentive.

The Wakefield race is always known as Death Valley race.....you go up 88 Valley Road and its always HOT and DRY. They had a drink station at the 4km mark and the guy manning it even crossed over the road with water for us on the way back. Which I was so pleased he did because it felt like a heat wave came over me and my face went so hot that I thought I was going to faint.......but the water set me right again. I noticed that I was slowly gaining on the lead walker not enough to catch but just gaining.

It is always good when you reach the turn point in an out and back race.....you always seem to come back much faster as you know that every step gets you closer to the finish. I reached the 5km turn in 29:55 so I picked it up on the way back. I was so rapt when I crossed the line and stopped my watch to see that I had beaten my fastest road race time.

So the training is working, the new coach is a legend!!!

Here is the data for the race, its in 500m laps as I had forgotten to reset it back to 1km laps. Doh!!!

10km Wakefield Race

10km fartlek - Atawahi

This is an example of how NOT to do a fartlek.

For the record it was very windy with some good gusts that knocked me around alot. I think the website showed wind to be 25km/h

My heart and mind was not into this today and it showed and it felt it. With nearly quiting at 2.5km ... I pretty much forced myself to complete the 10km.  Done in 1:03

To my Coach - Sorry!

10km fartlek - Atawahi

10km out and back - railway reserve

Now this is more like it!!! 10km for 60:51

I woke up at 3am. My stomach was in knots and my mind was racing. Tonight at 6.30pm my daughter flys out to head off for a new life in Cairns and I dont know how long it will be before I see her again. Dont get me wrong, I am really happy for her and thrilled that she has taken the risk and is going. She has already got a job and an apartment plus her boyfriend is about a 30min drive away too. I am upset for my own selfish reasons - I will miss her. At 4am the local hedgehog was out sniffing around outside our window and so I ended up waking up Shane while I was hanging out the bedroom window with a torch trying to scare the thing off....not sure how got more of a fright.....Shane or the hedgehog! So we sat up and talked until 5.30am ..... I figured that seeing as I am awake I should have some breakfast so I can go for my walk in the morning. So I made a bowl of cereal and then went back to bed for a couple of hours sleep.

I got up and decided to head out along the reserve for this 10km as it gives me the hill to plow back up. I was not really planning on it being to quick as I had pushed a little faster than planned in the 5km last night. I was surprised to see I did 6:30 for my first km up the track as its got a good incline on it so I picked up the pace going down Beatson's Road and evened out my pace by doing 2km in 12:06.....so I figured....lets see what I can do for 5km as I was feeling ok....not amazing but ok. Well I pushed on up the railway reserve and again surprised myself by staying fairly consistent along here as it is slightly up hill. Just as I was about to make 5km I flicked a stone up into my shoe so the last 100m til I clicked 5km was a little painful. So I stopped my watch (but hit lap instead doh...then hit stop) hmmmm 29:41 thats not too bad considering its alittle up hill for a part of it. I flicked the stone out and started back. I knew I had 3km of uphill and that I would loose the time I had gained but I was still going to try and get my 10km done in 60 ish mins.....I figured that would be a good test for me as Buller is undulating and similar incline to what this walk way is like.

10km out and back - railway reserve

5km Series - Washbourn Drive

Wow, its amazing what some food and water can do.

I was not sure if I was going to do this 5km tonight. I did not have the best 15km walk this morning and after talking to my coach I can now see why. NO food, Tired and NO water - no energy stores to drive from. So I figured I would just go out tonight and tick along with the walkers and have some fun.

Well it did start out that way. The first km was nice and easy as it was up hill but then we came out onto some nice long down hill sections and I just couldn't help myself and stretched out picking up the pace quite a bit.....which surprised me as I thought I would be dead on my feet. So I decided to just tick along at a pace that felt easy to me and was most surprised to finish the 5km race in 29:57

So I have now learnt that eating and drinking water before working out is very important and that you should not jump out of bed and head straight out for a walk.

5km Series - Washbourn Drive

15km out and back - railway reserve

I mixed up my training program this week. For some stupid reason I thought yesterday was a x-train day and so spent the day watching movies with my son and my grand-daughter. I had every intention to do a gym work out for my x-training, but when checking my face-book my coach very kindly reminded me that I was meant to have done 15km. So I had to do it this morning to get back on track again.

The morning didn't start out well....I slept in. When I woke up at 9.30am, I shot out of bed - got changed - had a quick drink of water and was out the door. I was still half asleep and the body was still waking up too. First thing I noticed was the wind. No rain....but strong gusty wind. So I kicked my self again for not going out yesterday as I would rather walk in the rain than in wind. My first 7.5km was all into a gusty head wind and then when I turned to come home the wind turned a little so I had a side wind the way home. (which did not help my mood any either) I was also meant to do 2 bursts of race pace - I did try but my legs were empty today. The 10km and the 12km were my bursts...very short lived. I am guessing that no breakfast, not waking up properly all factored into this being a crappy walk. My heart rate was low and my breathing was fine, I just had NO energy and the further I walked the more grumpy I became at my self. I am sure I had a wee storm cloud above my head zapping lightening bolts everywhere by the time I got home. So my slow 15km time was 1:36:58..................I better get it together as I only have three more weeks.

15km out and back - railway reserve

3km, 2km, 2km, 1km, 500m & 500m at the track

Today I had to do a really tough track session.  I was not looking forward to this one as it was 9km in total and today was meant to be one of our hottest days.  At 9am it was already 23deg .... I got to the track at 10am and the huge sprinklers were going in the middle of the track...oh they were inviting.  I have no idea of what the temp was at the track but the air was so hot it was hard to breath and the bottoms of my feet got so hot.

I did a couple of laps to warm up and then quickly ran through the sprinklers.  I stood at the start line for about 30secs......just mentally trying to get into the mode and to will myself to do this.  I hit start and off I went, I was not pushing too hard this time as I new I had alot more reps to do this week and didnt want to bomb out after the first 3km.  But the time I came round to finish my 3km I was starting to struggle.  My head was throbbing, my legs had nothing in them and I was getting camp in my calfs and thighs.  I figured I was getting dehydrated so when I finished the last lap.  I went and stood in the big sprinklers and had a good drink from my water bottle that I actually remembered to bring.
3km track 1st rep  - 17:13 is an ok time....nothing to flash.

Now for then next set...2km..... I had my 4min recovery and went back out.  I bombed.....I was going slower and slower per lap and really struggled to keep pushing.  I was very aware that I still had another 2km to go so didn't try too hard to push for a good time.
2km track 2nd rep   - 12:01 not so flash.....only just 6min/km

Now for my 2nd 2km set....this was getting ugly.
I was really struggling to keep my legs going....it was hot, really hot and the sprinklers had just been turned off so I now didnt have the light relief of getting a small shower from them as I walked past.  At one point I almost stopped as my head was hurting really bad and I went really light headed at one point and felt a bit faint.  When I finish the last lap I stopped and took a longer drink and found a small patch of shade to stand in which helped.
2km track 3rd rep  - 12:06  .... oh dear, getting slower.

This lap was the 1km lap.  I started out and tried so hard to push for a faster lap, but I was pretty much spent.  My first 400m was a little quicker which did help give me a faster 1km time but I couldnt have held that pace for much longer.
1km track 4th rep

It was getting hotter and hotter and I still had two more reps left to do.....only small ones but still it was hard to get back out on the track and leave the shade.
500m - I did try a little hard to push through for this one but there really was nothing left.
500m 5th rep

LAST ONE............oh thank goodness
My last 500m rep and it was so hard to get my legs going.  But I pushed through and figured that if this was a race you cant just stop and take a break, you have to push through it and keep going.
500m 6th rep - 2:49


So in total I did 9km in 52:46..................hmmmm thats actually not too bad!! 

20km out and back - monaco-richmond

What a week I have had. My poor legs feel like lead bricks.

I did go out and do 10km yesterday, I just didn't blog about it as it was rather slow and uneventful - 1:07 for 10km.....sad really.

I got up this morning and really didn't feel like going out and doing 20km. I was tired and weary. I was trying to figure out which way I would go and in the end opted for the Monaco loop. Going this way gives me some different scenery to look at and so passes the time. The walk way is not too bad to walk on with a slight up hill gradient. Plus by diverting a little at the end I get to tackle the last hill with a slightly better gradient which is more like how Buller is.

So I started out up along the walk way and was really surprised to see my first km at 6:27 (normally its 6:50) so I thought to myself..."maybe this wont be such a bad walk"

I went through 5km in 30:35.....hmmmm if I can keep this pace up my coach will be really pleased with me. But then I slowed a little to go through 10km in 1:02 so I started working out in my head how long it was going to take me to get back as I had the 3km of up hill a head of me at the end. I sort of figured if I can get 20km done in under 2:08 I would be happy with that as it was still quicker than last week. It was starting to get tough now and I was starting to work hard to keep my form up and speed. I looked up ahead of me and gritted my teeth and pushed up the hills finally making it to the crest at the top of the track near home. Yes, its down hill for the last km and so I pushed myself to pick up the pace and raced towards home. I was so pleased to hear my watch chirp to say 20km.....I hit stop and looked at my time.........OMG....2:06:01 thats 3mins faster than last week.......Yay.....I was so thrilled. I finally feel my training has come together and that I have a good shot at Buller now.

20km out and back - monaco-richmond

Last Walk with Stephen

Today was the last time I would train with Stephen. He moves back to Dunedin tomorrow.

Last night we arranged to met up at Stephens house and do a 14km walk together. Peter joined us and it was like the old crew back together again. We just ambled along and chatted the whole way, none of us in any hurry to finish.

I owe a lot to Stephen. He moved up from Dunedin about 4 years ago and made his way out to one of our Richmond walks. We had all heard about a new walker and were keen to see what he was like. None of us expected him to be as fast as he was or as good. He soon became the focus of our racewalking in Nelson and it didnt take long before a race walk team was formed and we all started training for Edkin relay in Wellington and Harry Kerr 50,000m in Auckland.

Here we are for Harry Kerr - We even had track suits made - Team Tasman!!

 Stephen, Yvonne, Nyle, Sharon & Pete

But he took me under his wing and turned me from a recreational walker into a racewalker. With me picking up his militant style. As I became faster I became more competitive and started searching out events to travel to. This took me to Australia for the Oceania Masters in Townsville and then the following year to Sydney for the World Masters Games. For these events I asked him to be my coach which he took just as much delight in as I did. He was a hard task master and he certainly pushed me hard but it all paid off. Each competition I would make gains and better myself.

We all have some amazing memories for the last 4 years - training at night on the grass track with me wearing the only headlight, training in the pouring rain especially when it was me that was training he just came along for the fun, the road trips to our events - driving down to Mosgiel and back poor pete will never be the same again!, the drive back from Tauranga to Auckland where I was the driver and Stephen and Pete sat in the back and did wine trails the whole way back, the Auckland trial when we were late to the race as we got lost.

It wont be the same around here for some time...Stephen will leave a huge hole in racewalking for Nelson.

The last time Stephen and I went away to compete - chch 1 hour walk

So here is our data for the walk today - 1:33:09

14km out and back - Atawhai

5km series - Hart Road

Sadly it was our last 5km walk with Stephen. He leaves on Friday to move back to Dunedin. He will leave a huge hole in our race-walking group. He has been my coach, my mentor and my friend and he will be missed.

Our 5km tonight was Hart Road, this is a hilly start and then evens out for a nice down hill and then back to the start again. I walked with Pete and Stephen but as per normal ... we started at the back of the group and slowly weaved out way through everyone with the guise of "we are taking it easy tonight" ... we never do. First 2km was done in 14mins.....7min kms - yep thats nice and easy. But at the 2.5km mark Stephen had moved off a head of Pete and I and had caught up to another walker ahead of us..... Pete looked at me, raised an eyebrow and next thing we had picked up the pace and was flat out after them....it took about 1km to catch them. When we caught up to them Stephen powered off and Pete and I took chase. Dropping the pace down to 5.40/km I felt great....my legs responded and I took off after Stephen leaving Pete behind me. I didn't catch Stephen and crossed the 5km in 31:01 which is still very slow but considering our 2km mark was at 14mins...we had picked it up lots!

After the race we all meet and chat, work out our next meeting at the track etc. With Buller only 4 weeks away everyone is asking who is doing it. For the life of me I don't understand why people wont say that they are doing a race. It is obvious that they are...why would they be doing all the long distance training, so whats with the lies? When asked out right you get "oh I don't know...still haven't decided....not sure.....thinking about it...."................. come on....they know full well if they are doing it or not. Even those that know them join in with the same game when even they know full well that they will be racing. I am over it to be honest.

I am entering Buller!

5km series - Hart Road

3km, 2km & 1km reps at the track

I was not looking forward to todays walk.  I remembered how tough this was last week and this week I was going to do it by myself.  I find that I often have better work outs when there is no one to talk to or worry about.  So I figured that with this walk being pretty tough it will be a good guide for me to how I am doing and if I am able to still push myself.

I was to do 3km - rest/recover for 4mins - 2km - rest/recover for 3mins - 1km

I had decided to not look at my watch except to press lap each time I did 400m - that way it is me gauging my pace not the watch.  I started out and felt really good.  I felt light on my feet and was not breathing too hard.  By the 5th lap I was starting to feel tired and had to tell me self its only two more keep going......I pressed stop as I crossed the 3km mark and I didn't want to look.....I was sure it was slower than last week....OMG 16:50

I had 4 mins rest/recovery and then started out on my 2km.  My legs felt tired but again I settled into what felt like the same pace as before.  I checked my time split on lap 2 and again it showed I was doing 2:15 per lap....that felt great....I kept going and pressed stop as I crossed the 2km mark.......again I was really surprised 11:18

Then I had 3mins rest/recovery before starting out on my last 1km.  I was still feeling great, legs were tired but I didn't feel exhausted like last week and I didn't feel like I was struggling.  I pushed hard for the last 200m and finished my last km in 5:34

I felt like doing a little happy dance in the middle of the track.  I felt great, had a fantastic workout with bettering my times from last week all round.  Although this does put a little more pressure on for next weeks on.....but we shall see ....

3km data - 16:50
3km track 1st leg
2km data -11:18
2km track 2nd leg
1km data- 5:34
1km track 3rd leg

20km out and back - richmond

Today I was to do 20km at a steady pace and keep my heart rate between 135 - 145 b/m

It all sounded pretty easy.......it wasnt. My legs were tired from the 10km yesterday and so I was struggling to get a good pace going. Its not that easy to find a good "walking" 20km from where I live. No matter which way I go there will be a hill somewhere or a slow steady up hill gradient. Unless I want to go out to Atawahi and walk along the edge of the main road.....which is not that much fun nor is it very safe.

So I opted to head out to Richmond and turn back at 10km....only as I was to discover...its only 8km out there so I had to walk through and up along Hill Street (aptly named) until I had covered enough distance. It was a hot day again but I wore sunscreen today and now remember why I dont like to wear it.......IT STINGS WHEN YOU SWEAT AND IT GOES IN YOUR EYES!!!! but enough of my moaning. I didnt enjoy todays walk but it was quicker than last weeks... I slogged out 20km in 2:09:55 and avg heart rate was 141b/m so I think I got that part right.

20km out and back - richmond

10km out and back - atawhai

Well after such a disaster walk yesterday I was not really expecting anything to flash from the 10km this morning.

I had decided to get up early and do this at 8am but thanks to my darling daughter sitting up until 2am chatting to her boyfriend in Cairns on Skype, Cell & land phone....."sighs"..... I didnt get much sleep and so dragged myself out of bed at 9am. I figured that with no breakfast or much to drink it would just be a nice wander and I would be happy if I got the same times Stephen and I have been getting.

Something that arrived yesterday in the post was a pre xmas gift from Shane. He had brought me a power band - the ones with the hologram and you wear on your wrist. He had heard me talking about them and so he looked into them. He also saw that many people called them a sham etc but some people found benefit in wearing them. So I was still keen to try one and he found one on Ebay for a good price. So I started wearing it yesterday.

So I got up and drove down to the Atawhai walkway, tucked my key into my laces and started out. I was feeling pretty good surprisingly and just sat on a pace I felt comfortable at. I am trying hard to not look at my GPS watch all the time and to learn to feel what pace I am doing. So I decided I wouldnt look at my watch until I turned at the 5km mark. The nice thing about doing this walkway in the morning is for 3 & 4 km the sun has not come up over the hill so its nice and shaded, so I was feeling pretty good, not too breathless. I was not pushing hard but was just walking at a good pace. I was most surprised when I looked at the 5km mark 30:17.......YES!!! I was rapt. I turned and started back, by now my shade was gone and it was full sun the whole way back. Plus lots of cars out now with people heading to town and the market so I had to slow for all the road crossings.....I was hoping to finish my walk in under 61mins.....I would have been super pleased with that. I heard my watch churp for the 9km and thought why not push for the last km. I was tired now but just picked it up a little bit. I finished my 10km walk in 60:35.............WICKED!!!!

and now as I type this my sneezing has started again.....lol....and my nose has started to pour...............grrrrrr

10km out and back - atawhai

3km farlek at track

If ever there was a day I should have just stayed at home.....today was it.

I was down for a 8km fartlek and had arranged to do it out on the Atawhai Walkway at 4pm as I had family coming over from Blenheim that morning.

Well the temperature just kept climbing .... at 2pm it was already 30 degs in the City and 35degs out on our deck. Stephen sent me a text to say he was not walking....too hot and he had other things to do. So I decided the sensible thing to do was wait myself until later in the day for it too cool down. By 4pm the wind was picking up and by 5pm it was really blowing but still very very hot. So Shane suggested going down to the track and doing it there as he thought it would help with distance etc and that it might be more sheltered out there.

We got to the track and I had forgotten my key so we had to climb the fence. The wind was still there but no were as bad as out at Atawhai. I warmed up for doing a couple of quiet laps and then I started sneezing. The wind was blowing from Rabbit Island direction and you could smell the pollen on the wind. My eyes started to water and my sneezing got worse. I was not overly happy to be at the track but as Shane wanted to help felt I should give it a try. I started out and got the 1st km done in 5:35 and then started the 500m reps.....as I came round on my 2nd km I noticed people had started arriving. One of them called out that the Collgate Kids had booked the track and would be needing lane 1......I said I would finish up in 2 more laps....So in total I did 3km at the track. We jumped in the car and drove home, where by now I was sneezing and my nose was running flat out. I jumped on the treadmill and did 500m on 9.5km/hour and then 500m on 10.5km/hour.....but after 3km with my nose running flat out and my sneezing I had to stop.

I have now noticed that just being out in the sun for the 20mins I was I am blistered up my arms and across my shoulders. I have hayfever now - runny nose and red eyes.

So it will be up early tomorrow morning to do 10km. Thats got to go better than todays walk.

3km farlek at track

12km out and back - atawhai

I didn't do the 5km......in fact I didn't do any training.....instead I had decided to take my beautiful cat Gizmo to the vet.

It dawned on me Tuesday night that I had not seen him all day and actually couldn't remember if he had come in and even had his dinner the night before. So at 5pm Shakara and I went out side to call him and see if we could find him. We did, he was curled up in the corner of the garden and didn't look too good. I actually thought he had fallen off the fence and was a bit winded. I picked him up and brought him inside, he didn't want to eat anything and was having trouble walking. I picked him up and put him on our bed. Gizmo is not an inside cat nor is he a hugger. ... unless its on his terms, but he stayed on the bed ALL night and ALL day.....by 1pm I was getting worried as he had not drunk or eaten. I got a straw and fed him some water but it wasn't really enough to do much. I did another search on line and it all pointed to him eating poison....so I rang the vet and they suggested I bring him in but she did warn me that it didn't sound too good. Sadly, it wasn't good news. Poor Gizmo had kidney stones and she showed me straight away that he had a blocked penis and that his kidneys had shut down. She said he had probably been unwell for a while but just didn't show it. The only thing I could do for Gizmo was put him to sleep as the vet said he was in a lot of pain and that there was little they could do. It was so hard coming home with out him....there were tears....lots....and a few wines.....NO training.

Gizmo sitting on the square post of the fence watching me cooking tea. He would sit there for hours just watching us.  

So this morning I got up and headed out with Stephen at 9am.....into the wind and rain for 12km. Was slow going out as we had the head wind but about 5km it all calmed down and so we picked up the pace and came home a bit quicker than going out. 1:17:30 for an avg of 6:27 pace.

12km out and back - atawhai

3, 2, 1km reps

I have never done a work out like this before and was very nervous. I had no idea of what pace I should or could do.

It was certainly not my fastest ever 3km but I was happy with it never the less. Plus I was so pleased to have got that one out of the way, I was silly to think...yay its only going to get easier now.

The 2km things started to get a little ugly, my first km I was struggling to get my legs to work and my last km I was very disappointed to see how much I had slowed. It had helped me that Stephen was doing 1km reps and so at times was right behind me but on the two km as he came up behind me even he said...you are slowing down....and walked past me and pulled away. I couldn't sit behind him for that last part of the 2km.

So now it was my last one km. I started out and got to the first 100m mark and felt dead....my legs were like jelly and I thought that I was not going to be able to keep the pace up for 2 more laps. My saving grace was the fact that Stephen had timed one of his 1km reps to match my last rep so he was right behind me and pushed me to keep going. I didnt look at my watch this round and just pushed through the 400m, then the 800m. Stephen encouraged me to keep pushing and at the last 50m pulled out beside me and really made me push hard for the finish. I was so shocked to look at my watch and see my last km time. Wow......... now I need to learn how to push myself like that!!

so here are my splits

3km - 17:12
2Km - 11:32
1km - 5:36

total data for my work out is here. I did the km splits as I went.
3, 2, 1km reps by kyisis

20km Out and Back - Atawhai

Todays walk was UGLY!!!!

I tossed and turned all night - with neighbors dogs barking for hours and two very amorous hedgehogs getting jiggy with it out side - I got very little sleep. I did get up at 4am and make some weetbix so I at least had some food for energy.

I had made plans to meet up with Stephen and Pete but Pete had injured him self on the 10km and also other plans for the day. So Stephen joined me to keep me company. We agreed that I would set the pace and he would tick along beside me. I dont really know what time I thought I would do. In past months I had gone out and done 20km in 2hours 7min.....so I was aiming for 2:10 at least. The great thing about doing it at 8am was there was high cloud so we didnt get sun until the last 30mins....Yay.

By 2km I knew that was not going to happen. I was tired, really tired. My tips of my second toe were already hurting and there was 18km to go. UGH!!! Having Stephen there was a great distraction as I am sure I would have stopped at 10km and just thrown it in. So I was pretty consistent pace wise....it was just very slow. I really should not have done the 10km walk the day before.

So............a positive.............I did it.   In a very slow 2:13:41

Came home - showered and then headed to the Port Races (Motorbikes - Formular 1, Super motard and classics) after standing for 5 hours and sniffing in my fill of avgas, we headed for home and to the aircon as it is now stinking hot. Now I am resting with ice on my feet. Thank goodness tomorrow is a rest day.

20km Out and Back - Atawhai

New Years Day Shoe Clinic 10km - 2011

Today was my rest day, but I wanted to walk in the New Years Day Shoe Clinic 10km.  As I have to do 20km in the morning the deal was that I could walk it as a training walk.  Sweet!!!

Hind sight is a fabulous thing - I probably should have just helped out rather than walk it.  Everything went wrong leading up to this walk.  My daughter wanted to have something nice and different for New Years breakfast and want McDonalds Breakfast Bagel.  So after much debate and searching for what would be the better things for us to eat.  I settled on the hotcakes but no butter.  So by weight watcher standards - thats 8 points!!!  almost half of my daily allowance.....peachy!!!

After that Shane and I went out and mowed the lawns - takes a good 2 hours today.  Then we decided to get all the house work done in one hit....so another hour and that was all dusted over.  We thought how bout getting the groceries now....so off we went.  Funny how when you decide to eat healthy it doubles your grocery bill???? whats up with that!!!  So while we went through the check out I looked at my watch, oh its 3pm - shane asks when is your race??  oh 3.45pm start....so when we got home he unpacked the car and I raced inside to change.  I then checked the site to get the start time to find it was at 3.30.......and it was 3.15....EEEKKKKKKK so I grabbed my keys and flew out the door....half way to the race I realised I had left my bag, my wallet, my license and my GPS watch all at home.  GREAT...does it get any better. 

I made it to the start with 4mins to spare..phew.....So I had not eaten since 9am or drunk any water all day....oh dear this was going to be ugly, thank goodness I was not to race it.

The race starts and Wendy bolted off to the lead and Pete, Stephen and myself ticked along - passing 2km in 12:30 (I think thats what Stephen said)  Then the guys got competitive and started to pick up the pace so I dropped off to let them go.  To be honest I was struggling to keep up anyway.  I was tired!!  To me - my pace slowed and slowed till I felt like I was only just race walking and almost rec walking.  But I kept going having no idea of my time or my pace...it was really weird not having my watch on.  Funny how you come to rely on it so much.  I have started to try and work out how fast I thought I was going, the guys were ahead of me, Stephen had pulled a head of Pete....(wow I thought...sly ol fox)  I figured if they were hoping to do 62mins...and pete was a good 2 mins a head of me and stephen was another 2mins.....so I was thinking I was doing about 68mins...if I was lucky.  It just felt sooooo slow.

When I rounded the last part of the race and saw the finish I was rapt....I was tired and sore and my knee was starting to hurt.  I called out as I went across the line - whats my time???  1:02 was the response.  I thought he was kidding...............Wendy did 58 and Stephen also did 58 and nearly caught her.  wow, for someone who has only just started walking again after being injured and ill, thats bloody awesome!!

So I guess thats my first time for the year and its actually not too bad for a training walk of 10km.